Every day Elle Williams turns away people wanting to give up their horses to her rescue facility outside of Baltimore, Maryland.
"It saddens me to have to do that," she said.
Williams, who founded HorseNet, an volunteer rescue group, is struggling to care for a hundred unwanted, elderly, and disabled horses. And the economy is largely to blame, she said.
Soaring hay prices, combined with plummeting donations and adoptions, are putting a strain on Williams and other horse sanctuaries around the country.
"It's a vicious cycle with the horses caught in the middle," she said.
Of the nine million horses in the United States, more than half are used for showing and recreational purposes.
Horses live 20 years or longer and are relatively cheap to purchase but pricey to own, costing U.S. $500 per month in some areas for boarding and food alone.
"There are a lot of people who find themselves in a situation where their horses are being somewhat neglected and they wish they had the means to do otherwise," said Julie Bertani, executive director of the Ohio Coalition for Animals.
"But," she added, "if it's a choice of putting food on the table, or food in the stable, you can guess which one they're going to choose."
(Related: "More Pet Owners Seek Aid, Give Up Animals Due to Costs" [August 6, 2008].)
Hay Market
Since last year, hay prices jumped U.S. $35 or more a ton in Western states including California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington (see a map of the United States).
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